The vetting of applicants for District Chief Executives in the Ashanti Region has been suspended. The suspension follows protests by supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress against the persons being considered for the job. The protesters say they want a non-Asante for the position of the Metropolitan Chief Executive for Kumasi. Joy FM’s Elton John Brobbey reports that the NDC supporters also want a person who is not an Asante to be appointed the Deputy Regional Minister. The supporters besieged the premises of Yaa Asante where the vetting was supposed to take place. The 13 member vetting committee is currently locked up in a meeting to try and address the concerns of the supporters. One of the protesters who spoke to Joy FM said he and his colleagues staged the protest because they suspected a petition they sent to the committee in respect of the issues was being ignored. He said they were told to wait and have their grievances addressed after the vetting was completed. But the protesters rejected the suggestion because it would be too late to do anything. Meanwhile the National Executive of the NDC has asked all branches of the party to stop taking money from applicants who want to be considered for the job of DCE or MCE. Joy FM can confirm that applicants in the Ashanti Region paid GH¢ 100 for the application forms. That the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah says is illegal and unacceptable. He has therefore called on all persons involved in the matter to refund all monies with immediate effect. Story by Malik Abass Daabu